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Thomas Westwood
Thomas Westwood (26 November 1814 - 13 March 1888) was an English poet and biliographer of angling. Life Westwood was born at Enfield, the son of the Thomas Westwood of Enfield vividly portrayed by Charles Lamb in several letters bearing the date 1829-1830. "Father (or "Daddy" or more familiarly "Gaffer") Westwood," as Lamb calls him, was formerly a rider or traveller for a wholesale drapery house, then a thriving haberdasher within the sound of Bow Bells, who retired with something under a competence before the beginning of the French war at the end of the 18th century, and settled at Enfield, of which place he became a patriarch. Living upon the minimum consistent with gentility, he was nevertheless "a star among the minor gentry, receiving the bows of the tradespeople and the courtesies of the almswomen daily … he hath borne parish offices, sings fine old sea songs at three score and ten" ... "and sighs only now and then when he thinks that he has a son on his hands about fifteen" (letter to Wordsworth, 22 Jan. 1830).Seccombe, 510. This son, the future poet Thomas Westwood, early became an ardent disciple and student of Izaak Walton, Lamb's copy of whose Compleat Angler he was privileged to use. Lamb let him loose in his library, the shelves of which he used frequently to relieve by flinging modern books (presentation copies) into the Westwoods' garden. Poet Introduced by degrees to many of Lamb's literary friends, the young man was imbued with a taste for letters. In 1840 he issued a dainty volume of Poems (London, 8vo), and was credited by a critic in the Athenæum with "a poetical eye, a poetical heart, and a musical ear." It was followed in 1850 by Burden of the Bell, and other lyrics, many of which had previously appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine. His remaining volumes of verse were: Berries and Blossoms (1855), Foxglove Bells: A book of sonnets (1856), The Sword of Kingship (privately printed, 1866), The Quest of the Sancgreall (1868), Twelve Sonnets and an Epilogue (In Memoriam I. Walton), London, 1884, and Gathered in the Gloaming (1886), poems of early and later years, representing the verses he thought best worthy of survival. Bibliographer In 1844 Westwood went to Belgium and obtained the post of director and secretary of the Tournay railway. He spent most of his later life in West Flanders, devoting leisure and money to collecting a splendid library of works on angling, upon which subject he was recognised in England as an authority, probably without a rival. In 1861 he published through the "Field" office A New Bibliotheca Piscatoria; or, General catalogue of angling and fishing literature; with bibliographical notes and data (preface dated Brussels, July 1861). In 1864 he issued his Chronicle of the Compleat Angler, now a scarce volume, and deservedly prized, for it is perhaps the most elaborate bibliography on record of any book printed in England, with the exception of the Bible; it was printed as a supplement to Marston's sumptuous edition of The Compleat Angler of 1888 (ii. 258–330, with a new preface). In 1883, with the collaboration of Thomas Satchell (died 1888), Westwood produced in a handsome quarto his magnum opus, the Bibliotheca Piscatoria: A catalogue of books on angling, the fisheries, and fish-culture, the small volume of 1861 being practically transformed into a new work, containing considerably over 5,000 separate entries. In the same year Westwood reprinted, with a good introduction, The Secrets of Angling (1613) of John Dennys.Seccombe, 511. Westwood died in Belgium on 13 March 1888. Writing In a humorous sonnet on the "Small Poets," Westwood sang as a unit in a countless swarm: "Oh for a wizard's sleight to turn this swarm of mites into one mighty!" Yet all his lyrics are marked by an exquisite taste, and one of them, "Love in the Alpuxaras," is said to have excited the envious admiration of Landor. Publications Poetry *''Poems. London: H. Hughes, 1840. *Beads from a Rosary. London: Samuel Clarke, 1843. *''Burden of the Bell, and other lyrics. London: Edward Lumley, 1850. Foxglove Bells: A book of sonnets. 1856. *''The Sword of Kingship''. London: privately published, printed by Whittingham & Wilkins, 1866. *''The Quest of the Sancgreall; The sword of kingship; and other poems. London: John Russell Smith, 1868. *''In Memoriam, Izaak Walton: Twelve sonnets and an epilogue. London: W. Satchell, for Simpkin, Marshall, 1884. Gathered in the Gloaming. London: privately published, 1881; London: Chiswick Press, 1885. Non-fiction *''A New Bibliotheca Piscatoria; or, General catalogue of angling and fishing literature; with bibliographical notes and data''. London: "Field" Office, 1861. *''The Chronicle of the "Compleat Angler" of Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton: Being a bibliographical record of its various phases and mutations. London: Willis & Sotheran, 1864. *Bibliotheca Piscatoria: A catalogue of books on angling, the fisheries and fish-culture with bibliographical notes and an appendix of citations touching on angling and fishing from old English authors'' (with Thomas Satchell). London: Satchell, 1883. Juvenile *''Berries and Blossoms: A verse-book for young people''. London: Darton, 1855. Letters *''A Literary Friendship: Letters to Lady Alwyne Compton, 1869-1881. London: John Murray, 1914. ''Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Thomas Westwood, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Mar. 8, 2017. See also *List of British poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Mar. 8, 2017. Notes External links ;Poems *"Under My Window" *Westwood in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895: "O Wind of the Mountain," "In the Golden Morning of the World" ;About * Westwood, Thomas Category:1814 births Category:1888 deaths Category:19th-century poets Category:English bibliographers Category:English-language poets Category:English poets Category:Poets Category:Children's poets